By Tere Figueras Negrete, Director of CommunicationsThe Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities (TFN) is excited to bring our 20th Anniversary Conference back to Miami, the site of our first conference, March 18-20.In addition to our conference lineup of thought-provoking speakers and sessions, we also have a host of before and after #TFNMiami, including several deep-dive learning opportunities, our popular Sunday Night at the Movies and our first-ever PLACES 10th Anniversary Equity Bash.You’re welcome to come a little early in order to take advantage of the pre-conference events listed below. (With the exception of the PLACES 10th Anniversary Bash, these events are included in your conference registration, although please note separate RSVPs are required for some events.)Program update: Registration for our Wednesday post-conference tour, Anchoring Change: The New Civics of Miami’s Next Economy has reached capacity and is now closed. If you’d like to be placed on a waiting list in case a spot becomes available, please contact Alicia Kitsuse. |
| Sunday, March 17 |
| When Waters Rise 2.0: Equitable Recovery and Resilience Sunday | Noon to 4:30 PM Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Climate risks pose an existential threat to coastal communities around the globe. Sea levels are rising at alarming rates, coastal land is subsiding in certain areas, and storms are becoming more intense and more frequent. This greater risk of disasters can mean catastrophic losses, especially for those who are socially, environmentally, and economically vulnerable.In June, the Greater New Orleans Foundation launched the When Waters Rise Initiative with an initial convening that brought together community foundations and place-based funders from Rhode Island to Texas to discuss local funders’ roles in contributing to equitable disaster recovery, rebuilding, and long-term resilience.Please join When Waters Rise 2.0 to further explore how place-based funders and community foundations can support equitable disaster recovery and rebuilding efforts grounded in resiliency. Please visit our conference agenda for more information Note: Registration is free but is limited to 40 participants and requires separate registration. Please register via this link. For questions about the convening, email Ella Delio; for problems with registration, email Kristen Craig. |
| PLACES Alumni Gathering Sunday | 12:30 PM – 5:30 PM Miami Beach Community Church |1620 Drexel Ave. | Miami Beach Join us for the annual gathering of the PLACES Fellowship alumni for a day of learning, connecting and engagement.Note: This event is PLACES alumni only. This is a free event — conference attendance is not required, but you must register through the conference website to RSVP for this event. |
| Reimagining the Civic Commons Sunday | 4 PM – 5 PM Knight Foundation | 200 S. Biscayne Blvd, Suite 3300 | Downtown Miami Reimagining the Civic Commons fosters engagement, equity, environmental sustainability and economic development by revitalizing and connecting civic assets. This national initiative is a collaboration of The JPB Foundation, Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation, as well as local partners. Projects in Akron, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, and Philadelphia seek to demonstrate how strategic investments in parks, libraries, trails and community centers can connect people of all backgrounds, cultivate trust and counter the trends of social and economic fragmentation in cities and neighborhoods.Learn more about Reimagining the Civic Commons at this event, hosted by the Knight Foundation. Speakers: James Hardy, Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Integrated Development, City of Akron Demetrius Lambert-Falconer, Chief of Community Engagement, Summit Metro Parks Eric Nelson, Executive Director, Students with a Goal Daniel M. Rice, President and CEO, Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition.Please RSVP to Kelly Kehoe by March 11. |
| TFN Welcome Reception Sunday | 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Connect with fellow funders, TFN President & CEO Pat Smith, and members of our Board of Directors. We especially welcome first-time conference attendees to join us as we kick off TFN’s 20th Anniversary Conference. |
| Sunday Night at the Movies Sunday 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay Throughout the 1970’s, an epidemic of fires consumed the South Bronx, reducing entire blocks to rubble, covering neighborhoods in a permanent haze of smoke and destroying 80 percent of the area’s housing stock. Decades later, Bronx-born filmmaker Vivian Vazquez set out to pursue the truth in Decade of Fire, uncovering policies of racism and neglect that still shape our cities.Presented in partnership with the Wyncote Foundation and The Kendeda Fund, our Sunday Night at the Movies will include a screening of the film as well as a conversation with Vazquez. Join us for pizza, popcorn and other movie-friendly treats. |
| PLACES 10th Anniversary Equity Bash 8 PM – Midnight Boombox 3456 N. Miami Avenue We’ll celebrate 10 years of TFN’s PLACES with our first-ever Equity Bash. Come dance the night away, Miami-style. Join us at Boombox lounge in Midtown Miami, located between the Wynwood and Design District neighborhoods.Note: Requires a separate ticket. Tickets for this event can be purchased when you register for conference. This event is open to all TFN PLACES Fellows and Alumni, TFN conference attendees and guests. |
| Monday, March 18 |
| Pre-Conference Institutes 9 AM – 11:30 AM Miami Marriott Biscayne BayWe’re offering two Pre-Conference Institutes this year! Check out our #TFNMiami Agenda for speaker updates. Power for Storytelling: Raising Voices, Driving Change, Creating a Sustainable Future: Explore collaborative approaches to storytelling that are developed in partnerships with local communities. Through stories and case studies, film clips and dialogue, this institute will explore the power that film and communications media can bring to communities, building a renewable, equitable and resilient economy that works for all. Power for Policy: Opportunity Zones, Equitable Development and Philanthropy: In 2017, Congress created a new tool for tax incentive to attract long-term private sector investment in low-income neighborhoods across the country: Opportunity Zones. This policy creates a fundamental question for those concerned with racially equitable and inclusive economic development: Will this policy be a tool for displacement and gentrification that extracts wealth from communities, or will it authentically connect residents with new businesses, jobs and housing that emerge from Opportunity Zone investments?We’ll explore how national philanthropic leaders and others are using their collective resources to influence how this new federal program unfolds, and ensure outcomes are truly equitable. |
| About Our Conference |
| Join us for TFN’s 20th Anniversary Conference in Miami, March 18-20, to explore how we can turn ideals into action.Our conference theme: Power Forward, a call to action for philanthropy to leverage the sector’s collective power to create communities and regions that are truly sustainable and just — work that has taken on new urgency as we face increasingly challenging times. |
| Our Venue TFN’s 2019 Anniversary Conference: Power Forward takes place March 18-20 at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, located in Downtown Miami across the bay from South Beach and a short hop to neighborhoods like Wynwood and Little Haiti.Call 1-800-295-1421 for reservations and mention the FUNDERS’ NETWORK to receive the conference rate of $249 plus tax per night. Or you can book online here. |
| RegistrationRegistration is open to donors, staff, directors, and trustees of all grantmaking institutions. Visit our Power Forward webpage for more information. |